From CFA Institute when I sent them an email: Thank you for contacting us regarding the June 2010 Level III exam. We prefer that you write your answers to the constructed response questions in ink; however, the graders will certainly grade any answers you write in pencil. Writing in pencil will not affect your exam grade.
but it does mean this could affect grader’s mode and especially on partial credit… I will use ink then, its just not convenient if you want to rephrase something 
I think the idea is that pencil can smudge and might become unreadable, so they prefer pen. I think what I did last year (retaker) was do a lot of my calcs in pencil, then write the answers in pen.
Lurky Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I always go from question 1 - last. > > Never had time problems. If necessary I could do > the morning session in 1.5 hours… So I’ll do > them one by one and expect to have plenty of time > remaining I can focus on the questions I was > clueless about (hopefully that won’t be too many). I remember practice runs taking no longer than one hour or so before the test. I took it in 2008, I was super prepared, but barely finished on time. Remember that you have to keep your writing neat and this slows you down. I personally turned the booklet over and started from the last problem backward ( I started with that reverse Cash-and-carry problem which was not a real confidence booster). I ended up with 50 minutes for the two IPS problems which gave me just enough time.
FearofFailure Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Hahaha - Sydney last year… Salvation Army > marching band right outside the door… pure > gold. Toronto Football Club pre-game band. I just checked and they’re playing a game again this year. Thank goodness it’s an afternoon game.
In Chicago, the test center is across the street from Soldier Field, which just happened to be hosting the USA vs. Honduras soccer match the evening of last year’s exam. The blaring horns and yelling from the fans just starting their tailgating was a very unwelcome serenade during the afternoon session! Ear plugs, not a bad idea at all.
> > asprin (2 in the morning, 2 at lunch for me) > > > i do the same thing, chug them no matter what. > didnt think anyone else was that crazy 
Don’t think its crazy, I’m prone to stress related headaches and getting through the second half with a killer headache is not a lot of fun!! The year I took my series 7 my head was throbbing in the last hour, and that thing was as joke compared to CFA… hence my little ritual I also sent CFAI an email just so I’d have it in writing - they said while they prefer pen I was fine to write in pencil and it will not affect my score. So I’ve decided to avoid the erasable pen headache and just go with pencil I am bringing a blue pen as well, though, since its easier to mark up a vignette with.
alll that stuff, plus I bring an extra pair of contacts in case I lose one, my glasses as a back-up for that. A lot of sushi, and any other type of food or drink I think there is a 1% chance I’ll want. A few extra copies of my exam ticket… I just load up my car as though I am going to live in the woods for a few days. Not much I don’t bring actually. L
a watch. i hate wearing watches- just called up a friend and have to go to her house now and pick one up. got mechanical pencils, got a 2 pack of black pens, have 2 calculators that hopefully will never die ever because i don’t even think about bringing spare batteries into the exam- that is handy work that i’m just not going to have any part of. just one exam ticket printed… i live in cambridge, they’d throw me out if i wasted paper. save the trees MAN. that right there should earn me enough karma to pass this bad boy. banni gone green.
i’m unreasonably paranoid about my calculator running out of batteries… it has been 3 years ya know
if it makes you feel better, i have a ba2 plus professional and i think that i took my first L1 test maybe dec of '06? just has to make it one more day. because heck if i am doing this over again. ONE AND DONE. ok, off to walk the dog to my friend’s house to pick up the watch. then drive down to my scheduled cocktail rendezvous with sponge bob.
And most importantly, a cool and analytical mind to conquer it. I came, I saw, I conqured!
shot of tequila or vodka
a shot of tequla or vodka
a shot of hard liquour